The present invention relates to a switch, especially a relay, with at least two switching elements. One of them is movable by a drive member relative to the other switching element for opening and closing the switch.
In known relays, the switching element are contact springs which are connected to one another by a slide. The slide is brought into its initial position by the contact springs whereby in the initial position the slide rest at the drive member which is the armature of a solenoid. When the relay is supplied with current, the armature is moved so that an opener of the relay opens and/or a closing element is closed. As soon as the relay opens, the slide, in general, is returned by the spring bias of the contact spring or by an additional spring into the initial position. The armature itself is biased by a spring force so that when the relay opens it is returned into the initial position. When fusing of the contact pieces connected to the contact springs occurs, the slide remains in its moved position while the armature is returned by the spring force into the initial position. Such a relay is constructively complicated and expensive because a plurality of contact springs and optionally additionally a return spring must be provided. This requires a large constructive size of the relay and results in considerable movable masses and thus increased switching times.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to embody a switch of the aforementioned kind such that it is comprised only of a few components, requires only a minimal constructive size and has minimal switching times.